Two Labour councillors in London—Cllr Trey Campbell-Simon (Walham Green) and Cllr Liz Collins (Ravenscourt)—have today resigned from the Labour Party and joined the Green Party, citing Keir Starmer’s rightward shift and what they describe as a toxic culture of control within the local Labour councillor group.
Their move makes them the first Green Party councillors on Hammersmith & Fulham Council, and comes amid mounting concern over Labour’s refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap, proposed disability cuts, and increasingly hardline language on immigration. The Green Party are now the only left wing party and the only party that stands up for equality and injustices in society.
Cllr Campbell-Simon, until recently the council’s Lead Member for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants, said:
“After eight years in the Labour Party, I can no longer stay silent. Nationally, Labour has abandoned the principles that brought me into the party at 18. From refusing to scrap the cruel two-child benefit cap, to rhetoric echoing Enoch Powell, the party is chasing Reform UK voters at the expense of the very people it was meant to uplift.
Locally, the Labour administration in Hammersmith and Fulham is failing the people it was elected to serve. Council housing remains in a poor state, with serious issues of damp and mould persisting across the borough. Labour now operates with a supermajority on the council with the local conservatives providing no meaningful opposition. Next May, the supermajority Labour administration will have been in control of the council for 12 years
The Greens offer what Labour no longer does: honesty, accountability, and a commitment to social and environmental justice. I’m joining them because I believe residents deserve better and I refuse to be complicit in policies that harm the communities I was elected to stand with.”
Cllr Collins added:
“I joined the Labour Party to make a difference in people’s lives. But I found a culture where councillors are punished for speaking up, and where residents’ voices are too often ignored. I was told not to listen to council tenants because they were ‘lucky’ to pay lower rents, and that elderly leaseholders had ‘enough money’ to cope with rising charges. That’s not the kind of politics I believe in.
Residents just want safe, mould-free homes. They want streets that feel safe, and they want to be heard. Instead, they’re hit with fines for minor mistakes, threatened over confusing recycling rules, and treated like a revenue source rather than human beings.
I stayed quiet at first, hoping for the greater good. But that good never came. H&F Labour says a lot, but delivers little. The Green Party listens, acts, and stands up for those most overlooked. I’m proud to join a party that puts people and planet first.”
The councillors are endorsing the London Green Party manifesto, which prioritises social housing, renters’ rights, climate justice and public accountability. Their defection follows the Green Party’s recent wins in Greenwich, Lambeth and Harringey by-elections winning with a large majority.
Zack Polanski, Deputy Leader of the Green Party, said:
“London has deep inequality and both the Labour government and the councils are unwilling to take on the rich and powerful.
I’m delighted that in increasing numbers people are finding both the alternative and their home in the Green Party. We are seeing a large increase of numbers across England and Wales and are welcoming more and more councillors leaving Labour. Just last month, we welcomed two councillors from Harringey and Lewisham.
I am delighted to welcome Liz and Trey to our increasing numbers of Green councillors as we get ready to win across London next May. They can truly now stand up for their values rather than being part of a party that is pandering to Reform.”
A press briefing and meeting with the councillors will happen at midday on the 22nd July on Eel Brook Common in Fulham. Please join us to interview candidates and for press photos.
For more information contact the London Green Party Coordinator, Danny Keeling coordinator@london.greenparty.org.uk
